Folding table and the like



Patented May 15, 1934 UNETD STATES FOLDING TABLE AND THE LIKE Ernest Vaughan, Clent, near Stourbridge, England Application March 10,

1933, Serial No. 660,216

In Great Britain November 24, 1932 2 Claims.

My invention has reference to improvements in connection with folding tables, seats, shelves, and like articles of furniture.

The object is to provide a supporting hinge joint of strong and durable construction which shall permit of the table or the like being assembled with great facility and security, which shall be adapted for a particularly rigid and efiicient automatic locking action in the extended setting, and which can be easily and expeditiously released for the folding movement of the table or the like.

According to the present invention there is provided a hinge joint for a table, seat, shelf, or like article of furniture wherein a springloaded pivotal lever latch upon the one part of the joint is adapted to have a catch connection with a part on or of an open bracket forming one of the hinge elements of the joint and provided upon the other part. Advantageously the latch is adapted to be operated by a cable or the like attached thereto so that facilities are presented for its manipulation from some point of the table remote from the hinge. The said latch may be adapted to co-operate with an integral projection raised from the sheet metal of which the bracket may be constituted.

In order that this invention may be clearly understood and readily carried into practice, reference may be had to the appended explanatory drawing, upon which:-

Figures 1 and 2 illustrate in sectional elevation a hinge joint suitable for a table, seat, shelf or like article of furniture, in the open and closed 35 positions respectively.

In a convenient embodiment of the present invention, as applied to a table having folding legs, such as a card table, the table top A is provided with a rib-like extension a upon its underside,

which is capped at its extremity by an inverted channel member a to constitute a partial hous ing a for a latch member I) pivoted at a point a to the said member a This latch member has a nose I) and a rearward extension b to which is coupled a wire or cable b having a ring b for its actuation, and the return movement of the latch b is provided by means of a helical compression spring b b are eyelets for guiding the cable D The leg 0 of the table is provided with a channel-shaped bracket (1 the walls (1 of this bracket passing on each side of the member a and being pivoted thereto by means of a pivot pin (1 engaging the member o The base of the bracket (2 is raised as at d to constitute a projection adapted to co-operate with the nose I) of the latch b.

In operation it will be appreciated that in,

order to move the leg 0 from the extended position shown in Figure 1 to the folded position shown in Figure 2 the operator seizes the ring 11 and pulls the nose I) of the latch 11 out of engagement with the projection d This permits the leg 0 being swung into adjacency with the table top A. A reverse movement of the leg 0 brings about an automatic latch between the nose b and projection d inasmuch as the nose b will automatically ride along the projection d and finally engage same by the help of the spring b It will be appreciated that the present mechanism is of an enclosed character and is therefore not unsightly, and the catch mechanism can be readily manipulated by the use of the ring D The present joint may be variously applied. For instance, it may be readily adapted to a collapsible seat or a leg supporting a shelf or other article of furniture, or the leg member 0 may be fastened to wall so that the table A would normally protrude from said wall, the table part A then adapted to be lowered into proximity with the wall by manipulation of the latch. That is to say, instead of the leg 0 being folded into adjacency with the table top the reverse takes place. The leg of the table may be actuated singly or in pairs, as may be found most desirable.

What I claim as my invention and desire to secure by Letters Patent is:

l. A supporting hinge joint for an article of furniture and the like, having relatively foldable parts, comprising two channel-shaped members mounted on said parts face to face in articular relation to each other, one of said channel-shaped members having a projecting portion, a springcontrolled latch pivotally mounted in one of said channel-shaped members and shaped to engage in the unfolded position of said foldable parts the projecting portion of the complementary channel-shaped member for automatically locking the parts in position, and a manually operated means for operating said latch to unlock said parts from a distance.

2. A supporting hinge joint for an article of furniture, and the like, having relatively foldable parts comprising two channel-shaped members mounted on said parts face to face in articular relation to each other, one of said channelshaped members having a projecting portion, a spring-controlled latch pivotally mounted in one of said channel-shaped members and shaped to engage in the unfolded position of said foldable parts the projecting portion of the complementary channel-shaped member for automatically locking the parts in position, a manual operable cable engaging said latch for operating the same from a distance to unlock said parts, and a means for guiding said cable.

ERNEST VAUGHAN. 

